A glimpse of Windows 8 leaked in Microsoft Presentation Slides !

Product plan leaks are synonymous with Microsoft's documents these days. Italian Windows blog Windowsette hasmanaged to grab Microsoft Confidential Presentation Slides stating Windows 8 future plans. The future development strategy of other products like Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Live Wave 5 have also been mentioned. Apart from that, one of those slides discusses Apple's consumer strategy: A high-quality, easy-to-use user interface that feeds brand loyalty.

We already knew that Microsoft is working on Windows 8 which is scheduled to release in 2012. Now these new slides which were watermarked MS Confidential share more details about the Windows 8 Product Cycle.

The slides suggest that Microsoft is also planning to launch Windows Store which would be just like Apple's App Store. One can purchase and download programs without worrying about installations and flexible licensing policies that would make them transferable from one computer to another.

On Windows 8 front, Microsoft plans to implement presence sensors that will detect the user's presence with facial recognition and thereby put the PC in appropriate mode - sleep or stand by. Also, the boot up time of Windows 8 would be shorter than that of Windows 7 due to Action Center that will help identify the applications slowing down the boot up.

Paul Thurrott, author and blogger of WinSupersite, also gave a  sneak peek into the features of Windows 8. According to him, for faster computing and compatibility, the operating system will have built-in support for USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 in next generation devices. Windows 8 will provide sensors platform for location capabilities and will use "in-box" location service codenamed Orion. This service will use Wi-Fi triangulation with accuracy down to 50 meters to 100 meters. 

Apparently, the leaked slides also hinted Kinect for Xbox 360 like features for Windows 8 machines. One of the slides mentioned that "Windows 8 can adapt to changes in ambient light, so that the display is always easy to see". Apart from that, Windows 8 will also have stereoscopic 3D and graphics improvements with 3D-ready version of DirectX. The backup and restore function would be improved too. Windows 8 public beta might be released sometime late 2011 while the final version would arrive in mid-2012.

Again, as the slides suggest, the details are a part of Windows 8 discussion and not a well-laid accurate plan. We wait to see if Windows 8 leap-frogs Windows 7 only, or manages to overtake the ever increasing Apple Mac OS X market too.

iPhone 4 Sales Top 1.7 Million in Just 3 Days of its Launch !

Apple has released an official statement saying that 1.7 million iPhone 4 devices were sold in the first three days of their release. The company had already recorded 600,000 pre-orders for iPhone 4 as on June 16. Clearly, consumers love the new generation iPhone device from Apple.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement, "We apologize to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply." Several users were not able to pre-order iPhone 4 due to overload on the systems. Inspite of the recent reports over iPhone 4's network reception issues and bad coloration of retina display screens, people continue to show their faith in it. 

Looking at the current trends of iPhone 4 sales, we expect a shortage of supply in the near future for international audience.

C7 - The new c-series from NOKIA???

Nokia's current Symbian flagship (also possibly the last N-Series Symbian), the N8 is no doubt a good phone. But then, it might just be too much for a user who is on the lookout for a cheaper phone without compromising much on the features.

That's where Nokia's latest C-Series device, the C7-00, comes into the picture. Now, this phone has not been officially revealed by Nokia yet. However, traces of the phone were found in an XML file located in the hidden depths of the Nokia's website. This incidentally comes just a few weeks after images of the C7 were leaked.


The specs of the C7 include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, Symbian^3 and an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and support for face detection. It is also rumored to support multi-touch gestures. Other features include a 360x640 pixel nHD pixel display and support for 3G UMTS/HSDPA, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth .

There is no detail on the pricing or the expected launch date of this one. 

Google to launch Facebook rival ???

Now this is some interesting news coming in. Google and Facebook who dominate two different sectors of the World Wide Web might just compete on the same space if we are to believe a fresh new rumor.

Apparently, Google is planning a major entry into the social networking space with a new service that will be known as Google "Me". So far, the two had been competing in the "most visited websites" category in U.S. In March 2010, Facebook became the first website to outdo Google in terms of the number of visitors. On the global front though, Facebook has still someway to go to compete with Google at least on the "most visited" parameter.


However, it would not be completely correct to say that Google has not been in the social networking sphere. In fact, Google's own Orkut still happens to be the most used social networking website in countries like Brazil and India - although it has of late lost some sheen. Earlier this year, Google launched its "Buzz" service which was mired in privacy issues and didn't actually get to a flying start.

This latest rumour regarding Google Me was first revealed by Digg founder Kevin Rose who tweeted : "Ok, umm, huge rumor: Google to launch Facebook competitor very soon "Google Me", very credible source."

Interestingly, neither Kevin nor Google has said anything about this service after the tweet.

New NOKIA - A QWERTY phone, may be a C series or N series!

It was just yesterday that we reported about Nokia confirming the fact that the N8 will be the last phone from the N-Series brigade to come with Symbian.

Just a day later, a phone that is supposedly known as the N9 has been leaked. The phone, which is being referred to be a successor to the N900 does pose a couple of intriguing questions.

On the looks front, it looks like an N8 with a slide out keyboard which should obviously mean its a successor to the N8 and hence would be an N-Series device. The OS that appears to be running on the phone is obviously Symbian. This contradicts Nokia's own statement that the N8 was their last S60 N-Series phone. The folks who posted this image first says that this one would go by the name N9 . Apart from the slider keyboard this phone is also said to sport an 8-megapixel camera.

There is a C0 label at the top of the handset which according to some signifies that this one is actually headed to become a member of the new C-Series. Anyway, the folks who claim to have this one in their hands have said that they will be posting a detailed review of this one. 

TOSHIBA Libretto W100 - World's first dual touch screen laptop.

The Libretto (W100) is the world’s first dual-touch-screen laptop running Microsoft Windows 7 that offers the consumer an enriched ultra-mobile computing experience. The Libretto W100 showcases Toshiba’s engineering skill and ingenuity, creating a unique pocket-sized companion that can be used to create and consume any content.


The Libretto W100 with its two 17.8cm (7 inch) touch-sensitive screens is targeted at prosumers who want to be at the forefront of creative mobile computing and want to enjoy state-of-the art web and computing applications refined by a unique user interface. The Libretto W100 takes user interaction to a new level, offering a distinctive and intuitive method of conceiving and capturing ideas.

The Libretto W100 can mimic both ‘traditional media’, opening like a book, or ‘high-tech’ media, like lifting the lid of a laptop. That means users could hold the Libretto W100 vertically to read the double-page spread of a newspaper, or could hold it horizontally, reading a document on the upper screen, while using the lower screen to capture clippings and ideas. The lower screen can also display a virtual keyboard, enabling the device to function in the same way as a laptop. The user can easily drag and drop content, files or icons from one screen to another with a simple sweep of the finger.

Lighter and smaller than even a netbook, people will carry the Libretto W100 with them nearly everywhere. With its attractive casing, the smart Libretto W100 is discreet and aesthetically pleasing, and will appeal to creative, stylish people. Its wireless connectivity can provide convenient web access on the move to surf the web, to read and type e-mails or messages, to stay in contact with friends on social networks, download newspapers and watch videos.

The new MeeGo OS for Nokia phones!

Nokia's N-Series is known for its line-up of feature packed phones that Nokia calls "mobile computers". These phones are powerful devices that cram in a lot of features ranging from multimedia abilities to office applications. In short, the N-Series are adept at handling anything you throw at it. The series did give us path breaking and revolutionary handsets like the N91, N73 and the N95 - which were amazing devices of their time. All these phones had one thing in common - their Symbian Operating System. In fact, the N-Series and Symbian had become synonymous. That is about to change now.

A Nokia official has reaffirmed that the N8 is going to be the last N-Series device with Symbian. The device runs Symbian^3 has a 12 megapixel camera and like its predecessors - is a multimedia powerhouse complete with an HDMI port. However, the phone is crippled by the OS which even after being an updated version continues to be outshined by more contemporary OSes like Android and the iOS4.
Nokia, however, has an ace up its sleeve in the form of its upcoming MeeGo OS that would be used in the future N Series phones. MeeGo is being developed by Intel in collaboration with chip giant Intel and is expected to land on main stream devices by the end of 2010.
Of course, this doesn't mean Symbian will die a slow agonizing death. Symbian will continue to be used on its X, E and C series devices. Symbian^4 too is in the making as of now and is expected to be a decent upgrade over the current versions of Symbian when it arrives later this year or by early 2011.
The first Nokia MeeGo N-Series devices are expected to be launched by early 2011.